John Deere 650H. (SN:T0650HX885328) Dozer has 9000hrs. It will crank but will not start without ether. It doesn't take much ether and it will fire right up and run perfectly. It has a 4045 (SN: T04045T847149). I have fuel to all the injectors. Fuel to all the filter heads. Engine is turning over plenty fast (new battery and jump pack). After it runs for an hour you can shut it off and if you restart it within 3 or 4 minutes then it will start without ether. Previous owner says he had a new injection pump installed (unknown reason for replacement) and ever since then, ether has to be used.
Sounds like it could have a tiny air leak and is losing prime or possibly a restriction in the fuel line. I'd check fuel filters and fuel lines/fittings for leaks or partial blockage. Could be a partially blocked screen in a banjo bolt or other fitting.
I was thinking along the lines of there being an air leak but it runs so well once started. I do agree with it losing prime. I know on some Deere tractors there is an inline check valve but I have not seen one on this machine.
You can have air leaks that don't actually have an external drip. I think I'd check the filter gasket(s) first.
That's a manual injection pump according to the SN which is much better than the later fuel system. After it runs for a while loosen the fuel tank cap and see if the problem is still the same. If the vent in the cap is plugged the tank will develop a vacuum and air can enter the system around the filters or line seals. If it's still the same problem I've had a couple that did the same thing and wear in the injection pump head and rotor was the problem. If leaving the cap loose corrects the problem you can drill a hole in the vent filter in the bottom of the fuel tank cap and that will allow the tank to vent. It would be best to replace the cap if that's the case but you don't have to.
In addition to the cap…look down in ur tank to see if rust/crap is floating around the bottom…even better use the fuel tank drain to flush out any water/rust/etc (can always filter it and put back in)…next move up the line to your filters, remove/inspect/change as necessary. Unfortunately for me I believed the previous owner of my machine who told me he had “taken care of fuel system and both filters; she’s ready to go”…that could NOT have been further from the truth. Both filled with water/junk and made starting machine difficult (aka always needed a slight shot of ether). Point being- inspect/deep clean ur fuel system will give you a better starting point with narrowing down the cause. Best to include pics so the pros can see what you have, never know what they’ll help you correct…wish you the best!!
Should also mention- if ur off-road diesel is dyed red like ours is (99% sure all is)…mistake I first made- when I removed the fuel cap/screen and pointed my flash light at bottom of the tank I was so surprised when I saw a perfectly shiny bottom! Couldn’t believe how clean/good everything looked…did a fist pump and put screen/cap back on; then moved on (as mentioned above). Something about that “clean” tank bottom just didn’t make sense; constantly questioned, did I really see that right? How could a nearly 60-year old tank look that good? Damn I’ve seen 10 year old motorcycle tanks look worse! When time permitted I finally got back to the tank and drained all the fuel (only ~20 gallons) so I could really see the bottom- YEP was completely nasty and required some cleaning/flushing to get clean. I realized the “clean” bottom I saw was the flashlight reflection off the dyed diesel!?! I know damn well there’s more flakes in that tank, but the lion share has been removed, so as long as I sump the tank and stay up with my filters (and do a better job at keeping tank full) I should be in better shape going forward. So when you look down in, might pay to have a 4-5 foot piece off aluminum angle to move the diesel around to break the glare and/or feel/hear for any grit. Definitely feel I dodged a bullet by going back in a second time, but still surprised I got fooled by what I saw (or what I thought I saw!). Good luck! Let us know what you “see”!! PS I’ve switched to on-road diesel to have better visibility into the tank…at least until i get more flakes out and see how it behaves.
if it’s a mechanical inj pump, have u checked the pump to engine timing.?? How about INLET FUEL PRESSURE.?? Its possible that there’s a valve stuck open and the fuel is leaking back to the tank when shut off.. & if restarted within a few minutes, u catch it before it all drains back.. Hope u find it.
I have replaced all of the fuel line orings, from the filter all the way to the injectors. Some of them were chewed up pretty bad. Replaced the lift pump on the side of the block. Checked to make sure I was getting fuel out of the pump to the injectors and I am. Replaced fuel filter. I am not sure how to check timing on these mechanical pumps, I removed the inspection cover on the timing cover, but I cannot see any timing marks. The tank has been drained, and I made sure there was no restrictions through the supply line. I removed the fuel tank cap, and it did not change anything.
The only timing check you can do is seeing if there is a mark on the housing of the pump where it meets the front timing gear plate. The timing is set with the front cover removed and lining up the timing gear marks on the outer edge of the gears. Will It run now if you give it a small shot of ether? If so you probably need a pump.
Getting down to the nitty gritty. I need to know what kinda pump u have..?? Stanadyne DB pump or a Delphi.. If it’s a Stanadyne pump, there’s probably a timing line on the mounting flange that lines up with a mark on the block.. U can move the pump to one side of the line on the block or the other.. BE SURE to tighten the pump up before starting.!!! Hope this helps..
Lol.. I was typing the same..
It is a Stanadyne fuel system. I just tried moving the pump around and it did not help. I can start it with a little shot of ether every time but when I moved the pump it ran like crap and was way over fueling.
1) The pump head might be worn. 2) The engine might have low compression due to bottle feeding it.. 3) The valves might need adjusting..